Left should relook ideological premises: CPM leader Moinul Hassan

Hassan said CPI(M) is always trying to engage with the youth but
accepted that the young leadership in the party is "not up to the mark".

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IndiaToday.in

New Delhi

November 25, 2017

UPDATED: November 25, 2017 20:46 IST

CPI(M) leader Moinul Hassan at the India Today Conclave East 2017 in Kolkata.

CPI(M) leader Moinul Hassan today said that the "Left should relook theoretical and ideological premises".

Speaking on Day 2 of the India Today Conclave East 2017, Hassan said the party is always trying to engage with the youth but accepted that the young leadership in the party is "not up to the mark".

On whether the Left has been left behind in West Bengal, Prasenjit Bose, an economist who was expelled by the CPI(M) in 2012, said the Left has suffered from two critical problems-not being able to adapt to the changes, and imitating other political parties.

Bose said that the party that once attracted some of the most intelligent people is today not able to reinvent and innovate.

Akhil Ranjan Dutta, a professor in Gauhati University, said that the Left had organised cadres but did not try to "negotiate with people" in the state. Many Left sympathisers, he said, condemned the Singur incident. "Medha Patkar came and sat with Mamata Banerjee," he said.

On why Left in West Bengal lost out while it has reinvented itself in Kerala and retained power in Tripura, Dutta said, "If there is a perception that keeping the people poor in the name of equity is the ideology of the Left, young people will not accept it".

Bose said that "they (Left) will not accept that there is a problem" and will continue to deny the mandate of the people which threatens to push them into "oblivion".

CPI(M) leader Hassan argued that "Left is a very democratic party".

What is the vision for Left's revival?

Asked about his vision for the Left, Hassan said, "The Left should relook theoretical and ideological premises".

Dutta said that while Left is the best alternative to the "kind of parties ruling the country today", it has at times "become parochial".

"They have to look at aspirations of the people," he said, adding that RSS has become Leftist than the Left as "they (RSS) will go to everyone and even the Left and try to convince them".

Bose said the Left in West Bengal needs "more representation from Dalits, adivasis, Muslims and of course youth".